Morg rifles thru the 2 chests, and looks behind the tapestry.

To Savra he says, "Has the Feathergales been attacking hamlets and caravans recently?"

---

If she didn't enter, he'll ask her when he exists the room later.

Savra looks surprised to be called into the room, but walks up to the doorframe.

"What is taking-" she starts before spying Morg digging through one of the two open chests. "Out out of there!" she screams, drawing her longsword. "You're in there to gather your belongings, not rob us!"

---

Map updated.

Morg finds nothing but stone wall behind the tapestry, and a few bags of gold in each chest.

"I've heard that there have been attacks in the valley recently, by raiders on hippogriffs. Does this," Morg says pointing to the bags of gold in the chests, "belong to the people from those raideded hamlets and caravans?"

Asano, mouth open to respond to Savra's inquiry, is suddenly shocked into silence at Morg's brazen question. He stands in silence, glancing between his friends.

Seething, Savra grits her teeth. “No. Those are the knights’ personal effects. Out.” She points with her sword toward the stairwell.

"I saw your reaction up there to thurl's ultimatum. You know he's treating us unfairly, without respect. You're a friend of Asano's and I know you know this isn't right!"

She looked at Asano hoping he'd be able to talk reason to the woman

"Common thieves deserve to be thrown off the tops of towers," Savra replies coldly. "Now out."

Jak stifled his own reaction. This was going from bad to worse very quickly. He shook his head, hefted his pack on to his back, and walked out of the room - pausing only long enough to look Savra in the eye "We didn't stole nothin' here, an' we're anythin' but common." He then headed towards the exit unless stopped.

"I'm common, but I'm not a thief." Morg says as he follows Jak out.

Mayon had been caught off-guard by Savra's sudden hostility. But he kept his expression blank and followed without a word, his familiar once again turning invisible and probably gesturing rather rudely when they could no longer see him.

Fuming, Savra leads the would-be assassins back down to the front hall of the Spire, passing underneath the massive carved eagle suspended from the ceiling, and escorts them to the double doors leading out to the drawbridge. Motioning, she indicates she will leave them here.

---

Any last words or actions for Savra or the Spire, post away - otherwise, I'll assume you leave and cross the drawbridge.

If we're ready to depart, where to next? It's about mid-morning.

After departing the Spire, the blustery cold day wears on the group as they make their way east toward the Sacred Stone monastery. Savra advised skirting the hills to the south, where the hills are more rolling and the travel less arduous. Even so, it is early evening when the group finally arrives at a location that matches Savra's description of their destination. The rush of the River Dessarin is occasionally audible as they find a trail leading back into the hills.

A trail leads into an ever-narrowing defile between bluffs of wind-sculpted sandstone. Eventually the walls draw in so closely that both sides can be touched, but then the narrow space opens into a hidden canyon in the heart of the hills. A sprawling monastery with dark, narrow windows and red tile rooftops stands in the middle of this natural amphitheater, ringed by sandstone cliffs all around.

Ahead, a weathered flight of stone steps leads up to the closed monastery doors. The plain doors are made of heavy timber with iron studs. A dusty footpath circles the building.

---

Sacred Stone Monastery Map added! I've blacked out the interior and the area behind the structure - hopefully you can tell what's the building and what's just behind it that you can't see (let me know if it's too confusing).

What now?

"Savra said the monks may have a secret signal to get in, but instead of spying on them should we just knock?" Morg says as they approach.

"I vote for knocking," Asano says, breaking the silence he's held since leaving the Spire. "Though perhaps we should avoid rifling through personal effects of the monks." He doesn't look at anyone as he makes the last comment, instead approaching the doors and preparing to knock loudly.

"We're not really planning on carrying out thurl's mission are we? I'm more inclined to see the knights as my enemy than these monks. at least until they giveme reason to."

"Unless we find need to perform as requested, no," Asano replies, knocking on the door. "I am no one's servant, and I am no assassin."

After Asano knocks, a small panel in the monastery's front door slides open, and someone wearing a golden mask peers out. The mask is fashioned in the shape of a scowling gargoyle with horns, but the hand that opened the panel seems human enough. From beneath the mask comes a muffled female voice. "Yes? What do you want?"



This message was last edited by the GM at 22:44, Sat 16 Dec 2017.

"We seek shelter from the encroaching night," Asano says, covering his reaction to the mask with a weary smile. "May we take shelter within your walls for the night?"


OOC:
Deception- 12/7

My Tides of Chaos ability is worth exactly what I paid for it. Nothing!

"No," the voice says curtly, and slides the panel shut.

Mayon visibly stiffens at the sight of the mask, his eyes wide for a moment and his familiar tensing as well. He swallows hard, allowing the sprite to fly over to Asano's shoulder and whispering in Mayon's voice the message he was afraid to speak of too loudly so close to the door.

[Language unknown: "O and wa ngwest ilsath virallwit ch pa evngulni ie Isssme. Et lat utto arsta usugh enc prthe esswitter."]

Morg turns to Zora and says "If their", pointing with his head back towards the spire "request aligns with our own only."

After recognizing the mask on the inhospitable monk, he asks the party "Shall we name-drop 'The Bringers of Woe' and 'The Delvers', and ask these monks if they're also believers?"

Jak had watched and listened. When the door panel shuts on them, there was a short pause and then he let out a laugh. He shook his head. "That's about par for the course for us."

He stepped up to the door and banged on it. "ExCUSE me! We are also needing to speak with one of the brothers here!"

She rolled her eyes at the inhospitable treatment, but said nothing. She knew that talking wasn't really her strong suit.

"Bring up anything we know, we need to get inside," she whispered. " I don't relish the thought of camping out tonight, with what we've all seen in the valley."

There is a pause after Jak's exclamaion. The panel does not re-open, but a muffled voice is audible from the other side of the door. "The abbess doesn't allow visits from strangers to disturb our meditations."

"We have recently traveled from Red Larch and may have news pertinent to your Abbess," Asano says, watching the party but listening intently through the door.